IBM Watson to resolve water scarcity in Bengaluru

IBM now aims to focus on the equal distribution of water across the state to avert aridness across the region. The project, still in its pilot phase, is expected to be launched soon.Sanghamitra Kar | ETtech | November 21, 2017, 23:33 IST

US tech giant IBM's IoT division has collaborated with Bengaluru’s water management board to resolve water issues around the IT capital.

“Through IBM Watson and the water sensors, we studied how the distribution of water happens around the city and we realised that it’s a misunderstanding when we assume Bangalore is devoid of water, it still has in abundance. But since the distribution is inaccurate, and the decisions were not taken based on data, the equitable distribution did not happen which led to the chaos,” Shalini Kapoor, director of Watson IoT & Watson Education, told ET at the Nasscom Conclave, held earlier this month.

IBM now aims to focus on the equal distribution of water across the state to avert aridness across the region. The project, still in its pilot phase, is expected to be launched soon.

“We are also in talks with the government about many other smaller projects. We are also assisting the government in drafting policies around the newer technologies, like IoT and others,” Kapoor said. “Through Nasscom, we are seeding startups and also collaborating with them and let them engage with our clients.”

Additionally, IBM is also in talks with Nasscom to mentor and collaborate with AI and IoT startups.

Recently, IBM Watson also tied up with Reliance Unlimited, wherein the two companies are developing IoT solutions for implementation across Reliance Group companies. For instance, user-based insurance (Reliance general insurance), asset and vehicle tracking (Reliance commercial finance), tower monitoring (Reliance communications) and transformer monitoring (BSES & Reliance energy) are few of the areas the companies are focusing on.

Interestingly, IBM is also focusing on weather data. “Weather leads to many outcomes. For example, weather plays a key role in transformer monitoring. So, with the acquisition of The Weather Company (weather), we now have huge weather data, which is helping us to build forecasting data,” Kapoor said. “We are also heavily investing in IoT-blockchain, which means IoT devices can participate in blockchain scenario.”

On IoT Watson, Kapoor said, “Predictive maintenance and quality is another facet of IBM Watson which is gaining attention. Traditional sectors like manufacturing are among the top that are adapting IoT. Asset management is another key area that we are focusing on and is central to our IoT strategy. It’s not just about machines; we are now blending them with new censors and looking to enhance them.”